Altitude Sports at Risk of Being Dropped by DISH, Comcast & DIRECTV

Many local fans could be without the Avalanche on TV

DENVER--This week several hundred thousand satellite and cable subscribers could lose the ability to watch Altitude Sports on its three largest distributors. Each of DISH Network, Comcast and DIRECTV's agreements for carriage of Altitude expire this week: DISH on Wednesday, Aug. 28, and Comcast and DIRECTV this Saturday evening, Aug. 31. If Altitude cannot reach agreement with those three distributors, our viewers on DISH, Comcast and DIRECTV will lose the ability to tune in and watch Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Mammoth, University of Denver, Denver Outlaws and CHSAA High School football games, and other high-quality Altitude Sports programming.

Altitude is eager to continue to deliver its coverage of the Avalanche, Nuggets and other local and regional teams' games to DISH, Comcast and DIRECTV. Although Altitude has been negotiating with the three distributors in good faith for fair market rates, and for terms and conditions no different than the ones under which each of those distributors have been carrying Altitude since its initial launch 15 years ago, all three distributors have so far refused Altitude's offers. Instead each distributor is insisting that Altitude accept terms and conditions that make Altitude's business unsustainable. What DISH, Comcast and DIRECTV are asking Altitude to accept to continue carriage of the network would cripple its ability to air more than 200 Avs, Nuggets, Rapids and Mammoth games to Altitude's approximately 2.5 million viewers in its 10-state territory (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Idaho, Northern New Mexico, Nevada).

"That Altitude's three major distributors would each reject Altitude's fair offer, and in unison insist instead that Altitude accept terms that would render the telecast of local professional sports completely nonviable is more than disappointing and is a disservice to the community," said Jim Martin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Altitude's parent company, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. "The upcoming Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche seasons are each among the most highly anticipated in both teams' history. For these distributors to collectively seek to deprive our fans the opportunity to watch their home teams is inexcusable and disheartening."

Altitude is asking its local sports fans who subscribe to DISH Network, Comcast and DIRECTV to let their voices be heard by calling, emailing and using social media platforms to tell DISH Network, Comcast and DIRECTV, respectively, not to block Altitude Sports programming.